Adradim Ironbender
Adradim Ironbender is a rare dwarf member of the Silver Hand, and a war hero of several armed conflicts. Appearance Adradim is unusually tall for a dwarf, standing at about 5'6 and weighing in at about 230 lbs. almost all of which is muscle. He has short black hair, blue eyes and a long, well kept beard that is typical of his people. He is quite proud of the length of his beard, as it symbolizes his status as an Honored Elder. Often he keeps it in a particularly long braid, along with a small mustache and well trimmed sideburns. Usually he wears a thick suit of gilded plate armor he crafted himself. The set is sleek, hard-edged and designed for maximum protection, especially against blades. Over this, he either wears a Tabard of the Silver Hand, or when going into battle against enemies of the dwarf people - he will wear the Tabard of Ironforge to symbolize his racial pride. Personality Stalwart, valorous and honorable are the best words to describe this dwarf. Adradim is a fearsome warrior, talented blacksmith and a dedicated member of the Silver Hand. He is happy with his station and his lot in life, so he lacks real ambition beyond the next battle or the next forging project. Adradim is a kind soul and his door is always open to the weary traveler or to those looking to employ his service. He takes considerable pride in his work as a blacksmith and often boasts of their superior quality, though he is quick to respond to criticisms (real or imagined) with a fierce look. He relishes in a good fight, though he is equally as happy when in the feasting halls - throwing back mugs of beer and swapping stories with friends. He has a particularly good relationship with fellow Paladin, Balledor. The two are lifelong friends and have fought together many times. Often standing back-to-back, they are a capable duo and were particularly commended for their service in the Second War. Adradim is a Master Blacksmith, Miner and aside from his considerable skills at the forge, is famous for his wisdom and insight. Gifted with a curious and imaginative mind, he is the ideal builder and analyst, and many often come to him to inspect fortifications or weapons, and he can be counted on to find (and correct) flaws that even a keen mind might miss. For a dwarf, he is fairly philosophical and poetic - often delivering eloquent speeches off the top of his head without missing a beat. Neither greedy nor dour, he can sometimes spend too much time thinking and not enough time ''doing ''- but such is his experience and quick reflexes that this rarely becomes problematic. At war, he approaches battle with a merry wink and a smile and the business end of his hammer. He charges into battle without fear: Always being the first one into combat and the last one out, he powers on through sheer determination. Any enemy, be they of the Horde, Scourge, the Burning Legion or of the Old Gods, all are to be dealt with the same service. His role as a Protection Paladin means that he is slightly less aggressive than his Retribution dealing comrades, but is no less zealous. Off the battlefield, he will actually prove quite welcoming, even to former enemies unless they have done him a personal wrong. In many ways, Adradim represents the very best of the dwarf people: Hardy, courageous, enduring as stone, a deadly threat to his enemies, a bastion of hope to his allies and a source of wise counsel. Powers and Abilities Trained by Lord Grayson Shadowbreaker and later by Tirion Fordring, Adradim is a master combatant with over three decades of experience under his belt. He is particularly skilled with the one-handed mace and shield, fitting for his role as a Protection Paladin. Against powerful foes, he rushes headlong into combat, often casting his light-based abilities as quickly as his energies allow. His great stamina means that he has remarkable staying power in a fight, and his great strength means he does not lack for physical striking power. At the height of the Scourge War, he is notable for surviving the Battle of the Wrathgate, being one of the few to escape without injury. In the Cataclysm, (specifically during the Deepholm Campaign - it is rumored he once fought Dragul Giantbutcher, (a powerful warrior of the Twilight Cult) to a standstill in hand-to-hand combat. If this is true, it would speak volumes about his barehanded skills as well as his weapons expertise. During one of the final battles for the Twilight Highlands, he killed over a dozen Lesser Black Dragons atop his gryphon, which shows his riding and flying skill. History Originally born to Thurimar and Furga Ironbender, Adradim was raised and trained to be a blacksmith, as per his family's tradition. He is said to have taken to the craft quickly, and rose in rank until he became a Master, though he never took on an apprentice, preferring to work by himself. Until the outbreak of the Second War, he could often be found alone in his workshop - forging items, weapons and armor of superlative quality. When the Second War erupted and the Horde first landed upon the shores of Dun Morogh, Adradim was one of the first to volunteer for the newly formed Alliance Military. During this time, he met Balledor, a young knight in Lordaeron's service that would become his closest friend and staunchest ally. Deeply impressed by his human companion's faith in the Holy Light, Adradim decided to become a Paladin himself, one of the first Dwarves to do so. Adradim served with distinction in many battles of the Second War. At Tol Barad, he assisted in the liberation of the island fortress and afterwards helped rebuild its defenses. After this, he participated in the amphibious assault on Dun Modr where he played a supporting role in taking the Orcish outpost there. In the Battle for Dun Algaz, he was part of the strikeforce that defeated a Horde Ambush, allowing Alliance troops to safely cross the bridge of Thandol Span. At the Siege of Grim Batol, Adradim played a key role in the Allied victory by destroying a number of watchtowers and catapult positions, ensuring the Horde troops would be denied artillery support when the attack began. In turn, when the Allied troops managed to cross the river, Adradim and his troops turned the Horde's own catapults against them - which proved critical in destroying the oil refineries and mining facilities they had erected there. In the Destruction of Alterac, Adradim was part of a strike force that liberated a number of Alliance loyalists from imprisonment and later led them in the second wave of the assault on Alterac's capital. When the city fell, Adradim oversaw the healing and evacuation of refugees from the ruins. Later, during the fighting in Crestfall - he helped greatly in driving out the remnants of the Horde troops trying to rearguard the main body of their forces, who were retreating into the Burning Steppes. In the decisive Assault on Blackrock Spire, he earned great honor for his role in the battle. On the slopes of the mountain during the third day of the fighting Adradim and Balledor were isolated from their unit and fought back-to-back against hordes of enemies. At some point in this confrontation, he saved Balledor's life from an attacking Ogre - hacking the creature's arm off as it attempted to choke the life out of him. In the final day of the fighting, Balledor repaid this debt by slaying a number of Orc Blademasters that attempted to ambush Adradim from behind while he was busy finishing off a number of trolls. After this, the two paladins witnessed Turalyon disarm and capture Warchief Doomhammer and in turn helped to clear the remaining enemies from the spire. Although it was a grueling task, and thousands on both sides died - Adradim was satisfied with what he had accomplished. At the final battle of the war, right in front of the Dark Portal itself - Adradim's troops in drawing out the few remaining Orcs into battle so that the portal might become vulnerable. During the battle, he claims to have personally killed three Warlocks and over a dozen Death knights. Finally, the mage Khadgar managed to destroy the portal with a powerful spell - isolating the remaining Horde troops and bringing an end to the Second War. The Third War After the Internment Period in which hundreds of Orcs were bound and imprisoned, Adradim returned to his home of Ironforge. There he spent the next few years resolving local conflicts, settling disputes, working on various smithying projects and stopping by Lordaeron's Capital City to visit Balledor. Shortly after Thrall liberated his kind from the internment camps, Adradim was sent to Lordaeron to aid the Silver Hand forces attacking the Scourge. There he took part in the Battle for Hearthglen as a member of Uther the Lighbringer's reinforcements. The next day he witnessed Uther confront Prince Arthas at Stratholme where the Prince disband the Order for refusing to purge the city. Adradim was among those that departed before the purge began. A few weeks after this, he took part in the resistance against the Scourge forces occupying Lordaeron. Although he despised it, he served under the racist, self-proclaimed "Grand Marshal" Garithos. Most of the "assignments" he was given during this period were little more than menial tasks: Guard duty, sentry work, scouting and endless patrols that were interspersed with constant "inspections", in which he and his troops were severely mistreated for being nonhuman, as well as other humiliating tasks. Eventually, Adradim tired of the mistreatment and deserted in protest, an action which ironically saved his life when Sylvanas and her forces wiped out the remaining Lordaeron troops and raised them as Forsaken. What few remained of his troops eventually retreated back to Ironforge. The Intervening Years For the next few years, Adradim increasingly withdrew into his forge; dedicating nearly all his time to creating weapons and armor that would be used against the inevitable war with the Scourge. When the time came for him to come out of retirement, it was not against the Undead, but against the forces of the Old Gods. Adradim participated in the Second War of the Shifting Sands, though not directly on the front lines. Instead he spent most of the time simply hammering away at his next project in the smithy, or alternately could be found offering extra healing to the wounded. He became close friends with Field Marshal Snowfall during this period, and the two dwarves together gathered several hundred military supplies for the effort. In the end, the combined forces of the Alliance and Horde triumphed over the Old God, C'Thun and succeeded in ending the menace of the Qiraji once and for all. Some time after this, he joined with his long lost friends in the Sons of Lothar after the Dark Portal was reopened. With Balledor again at his side, he fought the Burning Legion on the Staircase of Destiny, pushed them out of Nagrand and later played a supporting role in defeating Baelmon the Hound-Master, a high ranking commander in the Burning Legion. Thanks to their efforts, all three of the Burning Legion's Forge Camps within the Blade's Edge Mountains were dismantled. The Scourge War After Illidan was killed and Outland freed from his control, Adradim returned to Azeroth - only to find Stormwind City under heavy attack by Frost Wyrms and Abominations. Adradim fought hard against the Scourge Invasion and again played a large role in the city's defense, specifically in the Dwarven district where he helped to keep the Tram open for reinforcements from his home city of Ironforge. After this, he was a key member of the Vanguard force sent to Northrend where he oversaw the construction of Valiance Keep. His troops repelled assaults by the undead Nerubians and later destroyed several Scourge Necropolis providing them with reinforcements. His actions broke the enemy lines and allowed further passage into Northrend. In Sholazar, he fought beside Titanic Constructs and later helped to slow the invading forces from the north. Adradim later recalled he personally killed over 100 Scourge troops in battle. In the Storm Peaks, he established good relations with the Frostborn dwarves and helped Muradin Bronzebeard (under his alias Yorg Stormheart) to recover his memories and later fought against a force of Storm Giants. In Dragonblight, he became one of the few survivors of the Battle of the Wrathgate, where he witnessed Apothecary Putress' betrayal. During the battle, he commanded the left flank of the Alliance troops as they assaulted the gate itself and attempted to drive a wedge between the enemy forces and their stronghold. In Zul'Drak, he fought both Ice Trolls and invading Scourge forces and defeated Drakuru's attempt at creating an Abomination 'factory'. After fighting the Horde in Wintergrasp and the Vrykul at Howling Fjord, Adradim was sent to Icecrown Glacier. There he and Balledor played a role in the Argent Crusade's Vanguard. Together they cleared out the Valley of Echoes, assaulted the Court of Bones, battled against the Scourge's legions in Lost Hope, and obliterated most of the enemy presence in the attack on the Shadow Vault. Within a month's time, he and his troops established the Argent Tournament. As he did not want to participate in the tournament itself, he instead fought on the front lines and later helped push the Scourge forces back to the Corp'rethar the Horror Gate. In the weeks preceding the attack on Icecrown Citadel, he helped defeat the Vrykul's main force on the ground and later set fire to Njorndar Village. Some time after this, he killed Overthane Balagarde, a high ranking Vrykul in a duel, eliminating one of the Lich King's most powerful warriors. With that, he fought several battles in Valhalas and earned the respect of the Vrykul there. Not long after his victory, Adradim was sent to the Ironwall Ramparts and cleared out the heavy Scourge presence there. During this period he was assisted by the Knights of the Ebon Blade and gained a deep respect for Thassarian. After breaking the last line of the undead's defense, Adradim was one of the workers that helped build the Argent Battering Ram that shattered the gates of the Citadel. In the assault on the fortress itself, he crippled most of the remaining Scourge operations in the Fleshworks. Category:Dwarf Category:Alliance Category:Paladin